


Learning Curve

by Carmarthen



Category: The Eagle (2011)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dom/sub, Fluff, Graduate Students, Kink, M/M, Switches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-24
Updated: 2011-07-24
Packaged: 2017-10-21 17:05:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/227557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carmarthen/pseuds/Carmarthen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A coda to a story I haven't written yet, in which Marcus and Esca are graduate students, and Esca is frustrated about his dissertation. G-rated fluffy kink (which is to say non-sexual d/s undertones).</p>
            </blockquote>





	Learning Curve

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, I don't expect this to make sense to anyone at this point, since the story it's a coda to doesn't exist yet; I just didn't want to lose it and forget to post it later.
> 
> Necessary background: I have an outlined but not written massive AU of crack wherein they are paleontology graduate students at a small university in the U.S. (Esca is Irish by way of a Canadian university, which he left due to academic drama). Esca introduces Marcus to kink, and by this point (sometime post-story), Marcus is starting to explore dominance, complicated somewhat by how they both have very different styles. They're both switches.
> 
> Written for helens78's kinky fluff/snuggles commentfic fest, because kink can be fluffy and cute and G-rated.

Marcus decides Esca's meeting with their advisor must not have gone well when Esca slams the front door of the apartment hard enough to make the windows rattle. "Bad meeting?"

Esca glares, holding up a thick wad of papers. "What do you think?" Marcus winces; he can see the red ink from all the way across the room.

"Come here," Marcus says, leaning back against the arm of the couch and spreading his legs a little so Esca can lie between them and lean back against his chest.

"I don't think I'll be able to defend this spring." Esca sounds normal enough, but his expression says otherwise. He's had enough setbacks already for five grad students, and this has to be bitterly disappointing. "End of summer, maybe, if I work my arse off."

"I like your arse where it is," Marcus says, but he squeezes Esca's shoulder in sympathy. "Seriously, though, I'm sorry. That sucks. I know you want to be done."

"Yeah, well, don't we all?" They lie there like that for a while, Esca vibrating with tension. He fidgets. He elbows Marcus in the ribs, muttering "sorry" every time.

"You want to order pizza tonight?" Marcus asks. They had talked about making spaghetti earlier, but he doesn't think Esca's up for that now.

"Sure." Esca keeps shifting. One bony elbow catches Marcus in his thigh.

Finally, Marcus catches Esca's restless hands and wraps his fingers around Esca's wrists, bringing them to rest against Esca's chest. Esca's wrists are all sinew and muscle and bone, but Marcus can span them easily with his larger hands. He tightens his grip, not enough to hurt, but firmly, so Esca knows he's there.

He's still learning this, cautiously, how to tell when Esca wants to have control and when he wants to give it up, but as Esca goes still and exhales long and slow, relaxing back against Marcus and closing his eyes, Marcus is pretty sure he got it right this time.


End file.
